By 34 ABY, the emerging threat of the First Order, which arose from the ashes of the Empire, led Princess Leia Organa to form the Resistance without the support of the Republic that had turned a blind eye to the First Order. Organa, the general of the Resistance, coaxed Ackbar out of his retirement to serve in the Resistance. After reclaiming his commission as an Admiral Ackbar served in the Resistance base on D'Qar, where he helped oversee the battle to destroy the First Order superweapon known as Starkiller Base.

Ackbar was later present on the bridge of the Resistance's flagship the Raddus when the Resistance evacuated from D'Qar, but was blown up and killed when the First Order attacked the ship after it exited hyperspace.

However, the Quarren isolationists ensured Tamson—one of CountDooku's many Separatist enforcers—was present as well. The Quarren dignitaries voiced that they did not want Lee-Char as their king because he was too young and inexperienced. As the debates went on, what the Quarren did want became clear: a Quarren king, not another Mon Calamari ruler. Lee-Char assured the Quarren that he was dedicated to serving both races in a mutually beneficial way, Tamson, however, ordered him to cease speaking, as he had not "earned the right." Ackbar rushed in and reminded the Karkarodon that he had no say, as he was just an observer for the Confederacy. Ri then said that the Quarren, their argument not agreed to, were done with the negotiations and exited.[5]

Ackbar, Skywalker, and Amidala reported in to the Jedi Council, specifically Jedi MasterYoda, aboard a Republic frigate, where Ackbar informed the council that a civil war on Mon Cala was inevitable. Yoda, therefore, in order to keep Mon Cala aligned with the Republic, dispatched a company of clone SCUBA troopers, Jedi Kit Fisto and Skywalker's PadawanAhsoka Tano, to bolster the defenses of the Mon Calamari. Ackbar then met with Mon Cala's senator in the Galactic Senate, Meena Tills, who officially assigned Ackbar to protect Lee-Char during the forthcoming battle. Ackbar, however, thought it foolhardy to take the prince onto the battlefront, as he was too inexperienced in combat, though, he gave in, as it was a longstanding tradition for the monarch of Mon Cala to lead the soldiers into battle.[5]

Ackbar leads the charge against the Separatists.

Later, Lee-Char addressed the gather troops, telling them he did not believe the Quarren intended to attack, but before he finished, the Quarren army attacked, along with Separatist aqua droids led by Tamson; prompting Ackbar to proclaim "It's an attack." Ackbar and Skywalker quickly rallied their forces to defend the city, and held true to Till's will and took the prince to the front lines. Ackbar then led the charge into the enemy ranks and ordered his troops not to let their homeworld fall to the confederacy. The fighting continued, and soon thereafter, Yoda came through: The Republic's reinforcements arrived. Ackbar moved back to the prince's position, handed him a blaster, telling him to earn the respect of the people; he had to lead the fight. Lee-Char, realizing the wisdom in Ackbar's words, began to rally their forces.[5]

The gamble soon paid off when the droids and Quarren retreated to their transports. Ackbar voiced to the Jedi that they had won the first assault. Tills, thinking they had completely defeated the Separatists, told Lee-Char to start dictating for the Separatists' surrender. Ackbar halted Till's hasty assumptions; the first wave had been beaten, not the battle. However, just then, dozens of massive cyborgHydroid Medusas descended upon the city. The seemingly invincible jellyfish swept their tentacles through the clone troopers and Mon Calamari, electrocuting many. More droids materialized from behind, and as they were outmatched, Ackbar told the prince it was time to retreat. The pair agreed that the caves on the ocean floor were the safest place, so they fled to the caves. Once there, Lee-Char expressed his concern that his father would have been disappointed in him for the failures that he had befallen during the day's events. Ackbar, however, assured the young prince that Kolina would have been proud of his son.[5]

While regrouping in the caves, the Jedi Council was contacted in order to arrange the deployment of more Republic soldiers. However, before an agreement could be reached, the Council's signal was jammed, leaving Ackbar and the others unsure if the council planned to send reinforcements. Ackbar and Skywalker agreed that it was likely troops would be sent, but Lee-Char believed they would arrive too late to do any good against the Confederacy. Taking the lead, Lee-Char devised a way to escape the planet: take the Republic frigate on the water's surface to Coruscant, the Republic's capital. The plan was agreed on, so the group began the ascent to the surface. A plethora of enemy troops stood in their path, so Fisto diverted the enemy forces and sent down several One Man Submersible Devilfish to expedite the ascent.[18]

However, as they neared the ship, it exploded and the debris rained down over Ackbar and the others. Skywalker told the others to grab onto the debris so it could pull them back down to the ocean floor. Ackbar did so, and as they fell, he voiced that they should split up into two teams to better protect the true location of the prince. Lee-Char agreed, and Ackbar told him to be careful, as he was Mon Calamari's last hope. The prince then went with Tano, Fisto and the clones, while Ackbar's group, Amidala, Skywalker and Tills, planned to disrupt the city's communications, which would prevent Tamson from knowing that Republic reinforcements were incoming until it was too late for him to mount a proper counterattack.[18]

Ackbar, Skywalker and Tills headed to the city's central planetary scanner mast to topple it. Skywalker used the Force to cause it to collapse while Ackbar defended him from aqua droids. The group retreated after the mission succeeded. However, Tamson correctly deduced that the scanner mast alone had been targeted because Republic reinforcements were forthcoming. Therefore, he launched another attack. Ackbar and the others fought the Separatist soldiers in order to keep their attention on them, rather than searching for the prince. Ackbar and the others were soon surrounded by Hydroid Medusas, but were saved when the Republic reinforcements arrived: A Venator-class Star Destroyer deployed members of the Gungan Grand Army from Naboo—who, like the Mon Calamari and Quarren, were amphibians.[18]

The Gungans attacked using their traditional weapons—boomas and atlatls—whose plasma-based technologies disabled the Hydroid Medusas, droids and Quarren alike, and freed Ackbar, Tills and Skywalker, who joined the turning tide of the battle. A Separatist Trident-class assault ship soon arrived and began spinning; creating a vortex that confused the battlefront and scattered soldiers on both sides. Ackbar grabbed on to Skywalker, swam him to the gunship, and threw him up to it. Skywalker severed one of its legs with his lightsaber, causing the craft to spin out of control and crash. However, with their surge in forces nullified, the Republic-aligned troops were taken prisoner by the Separatists.[18]

Ackbar, his troops and the clones were taken to a prison camp on the ocean floor, while Skywalker, Amidala and Fisto were personally interrogated by Tamson. Tano and the prince, however, managed to elude capture again, but the Lee-Char thought to rally the forces—Mon Calamari, Gungan, clone, Jedi and even Quarren—to all together overwhelm Tamson and his droids. So he infiltrated the prison camp Ackbar was detained in to ask his guidance. Ackbar and Tills rejoiced when they saw the prince alive, but were confounded when Lee-Char explained his daring plan to reunify the citizens of Mon Cala against the Separatist invaders. Ackbar was shocked that the prince would ally himself with the people who had killed his father, but Lee-Char told Ackbar that he knew for fact that Tamson had done so. Tano added that she had seen similar occurrences of Dooku manipulating a planet's people to start a civil war, so the prince said that he would find and show Ri the truth. Ackbar agreed to the prince's noble plan and said he would marshal the Mon Calamari troops for battle. Lee-Char also gave the captain his signal of when to attack: when a Quarren attacked a Separatist. Just then, a legion of aqua droids appeared and put the prince under arrest. Lee-Char willingly went with his captors in order to confront Ri and show him the truth.[6]

Later, Lee-Char was sentenced to death by Tamson, and ordered that all the prisoners be taken to the capital to witness the execution. Tamson's Karkarodon enforcers surrounded the prince while Tamson read aloud the prince's crimes against the Separatist state. Meanwhile, Ackbar and the other prisoners watched from the side. One of Ri's aides materialized and handed Ackbar his baton and informed him that Lee-Char's boldness had worked: Ri and the Quarren had agreed to expel to Confederates and reclaim Mon Cala. Ackbar looked across the plaza and nodded to Ri. The Quarren soldiers quietly distributed arms to the clones and troops, while Ri swam across the plaza, created an ink cloud, and grabbed the prince. Ackbar's troops opened fire on the Separatists and the battle raged once more. Ackbar charged the aqua droids, leading the battle from his side, while Lee-Char proved himself by leading the rest of the forces and killing Tamson, a fearsome warrior—thereby freeing Mon Cala. Ackbar, the Jedi and Ri, rushed to the young prince and congratulated him.[6]
Some time later, Ackbar attended Lee-Char's coronation as the king of Mon Cala, like his father had once done. Ackbar stood to the right of the ceremonial throne, witnessing Ri's pledge of allegiance of the Quarren to King Lee-Char. And Lee-Char likewise pledged his loyalty to all the people of Mon Cala.[6]

As the negotiations in Dac City with Tarkin's ambassadorTelvar went nowhere, the Emperor sent Darth Vader, three Inquisitors and a squad of elite clone troopers to Dac City. Upon their arrival, Ackbar stopped the inquisitors and demanded their business. The Ninth Sister gave Ackbar an Imperial writ legally stopping anyone from bringing any harm to her and the other two inquisitors. Ackbar however thought it was outrageous and Darth Vader stepped in. Ackbar refused to let them past without knowing their business, to that Vader gave in and told him of a possible enemy of the Empire. Telvar's shuttle took off in the meantime and when Ackbar refused to believe an enemy of the Empire was on Mon Cala, Telvar's shuttle exploded.[7]

Ackbar leading the attack on Colonel Bergon's aerial landing platform

Vader pushed past Ackbar and Tarkin sent Imperial forces, led by MajorRantu, down to invade Mon Cala. A battle broke out in Dac City where Vader and his inquisitors teared through defending forces, Lee-Char assigned Ackbar to defend the northen hemisphere and assigned Raddus to defend the southen. Lee-Char also had large creatures destroy the surface cities on Mon Cala by generating catastrophically large waves.[19] This cleared out the Imperial forces at the surface and ColonelBergon took over in the invasion of Mon Cala. She parked aerial landing platforms over Mon Cala and Ackbar sought to take out the one of which she was based. Ackbar led complement of eight aquatic vehicles which flanked the underbelly of the sky base and they launched missiles at the it. Bergon's sky base was destroyed in the attack run.[20]

Following the Battle of Yavin, the Empire set out to attack the Rebel base. Ackbar was among the Rebel leaders in charge of getting the fleet together to help with the evacuation. He helped organize the troops and gather the supplies on the planet for evacuation. [21] Sometime after this, Ackbar sent Luke Skywalker on a mission to Rodia in hopes to open up supply lines for the Rebellion. [22]

Shortly after the Battle of Yavin, Rebel forces managed to bomb an Imperial supply base on Imdaar and a shipyard on Kuat. Ackbar informed Leia Organa of this sometime after the events occurred.[9]

Following the rebels' defeat at the Battle of Hoth, Ackbar briefed Alliance commanders about the threat of a second Death Star. Once completed, the battle station would be invulnerable to attack, so the Alliance would have to take down the superweapon before it would be operational.[23]

Ackbar was one of the commanders of the Battle of Endor. By this time he was already an admiral in the Rebel fleet. At the pre-mission briefing, Gial told the plan of how the Rebels would attack the Death Star. He explained that a ground team led by GeneralHan Solo would go to the surface of the forest moon of Endor and take out the shield generator, and that a fighter squadron led by Lando Calrissian would then enter the battle station's superstructure and take it out from the inside. He commanded the fleet from the bridge of his ship, Home One. Once the battle commenced, however, between the fleet's sensors being jammed and an Imperial fleet cutting off their escape, Ackbar realised that they had been led into a trap - the Empire was leading them to their demise. Ackbar was reluctant to continue the battle after the Rebels saw that the Death Star's superlaser was operational. However, Calrissian convinced him otherwise. Once Han Solo's squad took out the shield generator, Ackbar's fleet held off the rest of the Imperial forces while Calrissian and his fighters, along with Wedge Antilles, flew inside the Death Star to take it out. Ackbar especially told his forces to concentrate their firepower on the Executor, which was ultimately destroyed.[24]

Despite the Empire's defeat at Endor, they continued to fight, launching Operation: Cinder, a contingency plan issued posthumously by the Emperor. Over three months after the Battle of Endor,[25] the Alliance officially reorganized into a New Republic, continuing to defend against the Imperial attacks. As Admiral, Ackbar commanded the New Republic Defense Fleet in its campaign against the remnants of the Empire. In his free time, Ackbar honed his mind by practicing with his kar-shak against simulated stormtroopers.[10]

Admiral Ackbar's military campaign against the Empire was aided by a mysterious Imperial informant known as the Operator, who leaked intelligence about Imperial military movements. While Ackbar was practicing with his kar-shak, he was visited by EnsignDeltura who informed the Admiral that Captain Wedge Antilles had ceased communicating with them after his scouting mission to Raydonia. Ackbar ordered Deltura to send scouts to five nearby planets including Mustafar, Geonosis, Dermos, Akiva, and Tatooine. As a precaution, Ackbar ordered Deltura to dispatch two scouts to Akiva.[10]

Deltura then informed him that they had received new information from the Operator. When Ackbar expressed surprise that an Ensign was privy to classified information, Deltura reassured him that Commander Kyrsta Agate had given him clearance. Deltura dispatched two A-wing scout ships to Akiva but the ships were shot down by an Imperial Star Destroyer commanded by AdmiralRae Sloane. The Empire was hosting an emergency summit on the planet and Antilles had been captured Imperial forces there.[10]

Following the downing of the scout ships, Admiral Ackbar corresponded with several New Republic leaders and officials via hologram including Commander Agate Captain Saff Melor, General Crix Madine, and the newly-appointed ChancellorMon Mothma. When Agate suggested they could trust the Operator, Ackbar warned that the Battle of Endor showed that the Empire had the ability to play the long game. When Melor advocated sending in a fleet to Akiva, Mothma urged caution to avoid creating the impression that the New Republic were invaders.[10]

While Melor and Mothma debated the merits of aiding a strategically marginal planet like Akiva, Ackbar sided with the Chancellor and urged his comrades to be ready for Imperial traps. He then asked General Madine whether he could send a small strike team of New Republic Special Forces soldiers to investigate Akiva. Madine replied that was possible and Ackbar agreed to send a small scouting party to Akiva. This party was attacked by Imperial turbolasers but one member SergeantJom Barell survived and played a role in the subsequent rebellion on Akiva. Ackbar was informed about the attack on Barell's scouting parting by Ensign Deltura and Science officerNiriian.[10]

During the summit, Antilles managed to break free for a short duration and send an emergency transmission to Ackbar, explaining the dire situation. In response, Ackbar prepared a small fleet to attack the Imperial presence on Akiva. Ackbar assigned Commander Agate with leading the attack on Akiva. Agate's small fleet destroyed two Star Destroyers while the New Republic pilot Norra Wexley, her son Temmin and a small rebel cell engineered an uprising that overwhelmed the meager Imperial garrison and the collaborationist Satrapy of Myrra. Akiva became one of the first Outer Rim worlds to join the New Republic. [10]

Admiral Ackbar's victory on Akiva was aided by the Operator, who sent intelligence about the position of the orbiting Star Destroyers. Despite finding his information useful, Ackbar did not fully trust the Operator,[10] who later turned out to be Fleet Admiral Gallius Rax.[26] A month later, Ackbar presented a medal to Norra Wexley for her service in rescuing Antilles and helping the New Republic to liberate Akiva from the Empire.[10]

One year after the Alliance's victory at Endor, the now-Fleet Admiral Ackbar led the New Republic Starfleet's campaign against the remnants of the Empire. While Ackbar's work took him into space, the Admiral still visited the New Republic capital of Chandrila to consult with Chancellor Mon Mothma and other leaders. On one such trip, Admiral Ackbar met with the New Republic starfighter pilot Norra Wexley at Skygarden above Hanna City. He ordered her to cease her mission to rescue the missing Han Solo and to resume her hunt for Imperial commissions. Norra refused to comply with this order and resigned her commission in the New Republic Navy. She, her son Temmin, the B1 battle droidMister Bones, the former Imperial loyalty officerSinjir Rath Velus, the Zabrakbounty hunterJas Emari, and the New Republic soldier Jom Barell then embarked on a quest to find Solo.[26]

During a later meeting with Chancellor Mothma and her advisers, Ackbar opined that the New Republic was not doing enough to win former Imperial systems to the New Republic. Mothma concurred and agreed to embark on a campaign to entice prospective members by giving them a place in the reconstituted Galactic Senate. Shortly later, Princess Leia entered the room and argued with Chancellor Mothma about not enough being done to aid the enslaved Wookiees of the planet Kashyyyk. Following a brief argument, a frustrated Leia stormed out of the meeting despite Ackbar's efforts to call out to her.[26]

Later, Admiral Ackbar commanded a successful campaign to capture the planet Kuat and the strategically important Kuat Drive Yards. The sector governor Moff Pollus Maksim and the guild head of Kuat Drive Yards capitulated. During the battle, Ackbar's forces lost fewer ships than their Imperial opponents. The loss of Kuat dealt a serious blow to the Galactic Empire.[26]

Following the battle, Princess Leia contacted Admiral Ackbar by hologram to congratulate him for his role in securing the New Republic's victory. Shortly later, Chancellor Mon Mothma interrupted the conversation to inform her comrades that she had received communication from the Operator, who wanted to meet with the New Republic leadership. Ackbar ordered his comm officer Toktar to open the Old Alliance frequency Zeta Zeta Nine. The guest turned out to be Grand Admiral Sloane, the public face of the Galactic Empire. Despite Sloane's claims that she was the Operator, Ackbar did not believe her.[26]

When Sloane addressed Ackbar as Grand Admiral, the Mon Calamari responded that Grand Admiral was an Imperial ranking and accused her of seizing the title for herself. Ackbar's colleague Commodore Agate soon joined the holo-conversation and accused Sloane of deceiving them. After exchanging some barbs, the New Republic commanders and Grand Admiral Sloane settled down to business. When Sloane revealed that she was interested in initiating peace talks with the New Republic, Ackbar curled his chin tendrils to express skepticism. Nevertheless, he acceded to Chancellor Mothma's decision to raise the matter of the peace talks with the Galactic Senate.[26]

In reality, the peace talks were a ruse for the Empire to stage an attack on Chandrila. Rax who had manipulated Grand Admiral Sloane into approaching the New Republic for peace talks as part of his plot to use the liberated prisoners from Ashmead's Lock to assassinate the New Republic leadership. For this plot, Rax had inserted each of the prisoners with an inorganic bio-chip which allowed him to transmit signals into their brains. This turned the former prisoners into unwilling assassins.[26]

Later, Admiral Ackbar and other New Republic officials greeted the liberated prisoners from Ashmead's Lock when they arrived at Hanna City Spaceport. After Han Solo and Chewbacca managed to stage a Wookiee uprising on Kashyyyk, Admiral Ackbar traveled on his ship Home One to support Princess Leia and Captain Wedge Antilles's Phantom Squadron in their attack on the orbiting Imperial Star Destroyers. After Solo and Chewbacca hijacked the Dominion and destroyed the Star Destroyer Vitiator, the third Star Destroyer Neutralizer surrendered to Admiral Ackbar. Despite the liberation of Kashyyyk, the New Republic forces soon received news of the attack on Chandrila.[26]

Following the events on Chandrila, Rax took control of the Imperial fleets and ordered them to assemble above the planet Jakku for a showdown with the New Republic.[26] Several months later, Temmin and Rath Velus discovered that the Empire had relocated to Jakku. They informed Chancellor Mothma and Princess Leia but the information was leaked to the press by Chancellor Mothma's rival Senator Tolwar Wartol. After Wartol publicly attacked Mothma's leadership, Admiral Ackbar reassured Chancellor Mothma that she had made the right decision to withhold the information since she had only obtained it less than a standard day. After Mon Mothma indicated she would issue a statement to the press, Admiral Ackbar added that he would send a scout ship and probe droids to Jakku to investigate.[27]

Admiral Ackbar dispatched Ensign Deltura on the scout ship Oculus and several probe droids to investigate. After the scouting team confirmed that most of the Imperial remnants had relocated to Jakku, Chancellor Mothma convened an emergency session of the Galactic Senate and urged the Senate to support her resolution to send military forces to the planet. However, the resolution failed by five votes. Following the vote, Admiral Ackbar visited Chancellor Mothma to inform her that the vote had failed. He remarked that this meant that the fleet would not depart for Jakku and that the Empire would remain there.[27]

After Rath Velus managed to convince the five senators to change their votes, the New Republic was able to send its military forces to Jakku. Prior to the battle, Admiral Ackbar managed to convince Commodore Kyrsta Agate to return to her command board the Starhawk-class battleshipConcord. Agate had been disfigured during the Attack on Chandrila and had been despondent. He also visited Agate aboard her flagship and praised her as one of his best and brightest officers. When Agate remarked that some of the light had gone out of her, Ackbar complimented her for recognizing the burden of war and for not giving in to anger.[27]

When Agate expressed doubts about her ability to captain the Concord, Ackbar reassured her that none of them were truly ready for what. He added that the best they could was to meet it with forward faces and clear hearts. Ackbar also recognized that the Empire was aware of their presence and added that he would be ready for a full-scale fleet battle. When Agate opined that Jakku could be a ruse, Ackbar reassured her that they would be ready. When Agate asked if they were going to win, Ackbar responded that it would be an honor to fight alongside regardless of whether it was their final battle or the first of many to come. The two then parted company and assumed their battle positions.[27]

During the Battle of Jakku, Admiral Ackbar commanded the New Republic fleet. Despite outnumbering the Empire, the New Republic fleet was unable to break through the Imperial defensive lines. The Imperial Star Destroyers had formed a defensive perimeter around the Super Star DestroyerRavager, the Imperial flagship. During the battle, the Star Destroyers would periodically open flank to allow the Ravager to fire its turbolasers and torpedoes at the New Republic fleet. As a result, several New Republic warships and starfighters were destroyed.[27]

While commanding the space battle, Ackbar also liaised with General Tyben, who was commanding the ground assault via hologram from Chandrila. When Tyben opined that he should be on Jakku with Lieutenant GeneralBrockway, Ackbar countered that they needed to maintain reserve forces on Chandrila and the new capital Nakadia in case Jakku turned out to be a ruse. Ackbar then witnessed the Star Destroyer Punishment break formation with the Imperial fleet and ram the Starhawk Amity, destroying both ships. Realizing that Agate's ship Concord lay in the gap, Ackbar opened the channel to contact Commodore Agate.[27]

Believing they were in danger, Admiral Ackbar ordered the Commodore and her crew to abandon ship. Agate ordered her crew to comply but stayed behind. She realized that the Punishment's destruction had created a gap that would allow her ship to attack the Ravager. As the Concord exchanged fire with the Ravager, Ackbar ordered her to abandon her ship. However, Agate convinced Ackbar to send starfighters and CR90 corvettes to attack the Super Star Destroyer's exposed flank engines. Despite some arguing, Ackbar finally accepted Agate's sacrifice and prayed that the Force would be with them all.[27]

The Concord was crippled by the Ravager and plummeted towards Jakku's surface. However, Agate then activated her ship's powerful tractor beam and proceeded to drag the Super Star Destroyer down with her. As the two ships descended into Jakku's orbit, Ackbar grabbed the intercom and warned all New Republic soldiers and pilots that the Ravager had been downed and to take cover and beware of falling debris. While Ackbar's crew cheered behind him, the Admiral did not cheer but prayed for the Force to protect those below and to accept Agate as one of its own.[27]

The downing of the Ravager turned the tide of the Battle of Jakku in the New Republic's favor. Meanwhile, Grand Admiral Sloane joined forces with her New Republic adversaries Brentin Lore Wexley and Norra Wexley to stop Gallius Rax, the Counselor to the Empire, from detonating Jakku and the orbiting Imperial and New Republic fleets.[27] Following the battle, the New Republic and Galactic Empire signed the Galactic Concordance which ended the Galactic Civil War. The Galactic Concordance demilitarized and imposed harsh sanctions on the remnants of the Empire. With the war's end, the New Republic turned its attention to restructuring the galactic order.[12]

Sometime later, Ackbar retired to his homeworld of Mon Cala.[12] Following the revelations of Leia Organa's parentage as the daughter of Darth Vader, Ackbar along with several other rebel veterans sent messages of support to the embattled New Republic senator. He and several rebel veterans and New Republic personnel later attended a meeting on Hosnian Prime where Leia formally established the Resistance, a paramilitary group dedicated to protecting the New Republic.[2]

At some point after his recruitment, Ackbar was captured by the First Order. Afraid that the First Order might execute him, the Resistance assembled a team led by Captain Hoff, with the sole purpose of locating Ackbar. Hoff's team eventually captured a First Order droid named O-MR1, who they believed knew the location of Ackbar. On their way back to the Resistance base, the team's ship crashed on Taul, with the only survivors being a group of droids, including O-MR1, led by C-3PO. The droids began following a signal they received from a First Order vessel, but on their way they were attacked by spice spiders and later by can-cell, resulting in the destruction of all of the droids, except C-3PO and O-MR1. The two droids finally found the vessel, but before they could contact the Resistance, it began raining acid. They took cover under another ship's wing, but knew that if they didn't contact help soon, the control panel would melt. O-MR1, who at this point saw C-3PO as his friend, told 3PO the location of Ackbar, before sacrificing himself to contact Poe Dameron for help. Some time after O-MR1 had melted, Dameron arrived to pick up C-3PO, who told Dameron the location of Ackbar.[28]

Following the Battle of Starkiller Base, Ackbar aided the rest of the Resistance in evacuating their base, ordering their fleet to jump to hyperspace and escape the First Order. However, unknown to the Resistance, the First Order had developed technology that allowed them to track ships through hyperspace. The First Order fleet pursued the Resistance and initiated an attack on the bridge of their main cruiser. Though Kylo Ren could not bring himself to fire on the bridge after sensing his mother's presence there, his wingmates, Poldin LeHuse and a second TIE fighter had no such qualms and fired missiles upon the primary bridge.[30] As one of Ackbar's Mon Calamari aides notified him of the inbound torpedoes, the gruff admiral looked to the crew of the bridge, embracing the fact that his fate was sealed, declaring his respect for them in the face of death before the missiles struck the adjacent viewport.[31] In a huge explosion, Ackbar, the most esteemed military commander of his generation, was gone.[4] The only survivor from the bridge was Organa herself, who called on the Force to pull herself back to an airlock. Ackbar's death was later confirmed by Commander Larma D'Acy as she confirmed Vice Admiral Holdo as leader of the Resistance while Leia recovered.[30]

"I'm older. The reason I do this—stand here and take my kar-shak and continue to practice my kotas—is because I wish to stay sharp. And flexible. And ahead of my enemies. I know one day that I will fail at this, and we almost failed above Endor. We rushed in. Careless. It almost cost us everything."

―Gial Ackbar was a seasoned military commander who kept his mind sharp and his body flexible[src]

Ackbar in the command chair aboard the Raddus

Gial Ackbar was a seasoned and accomplished military commander who served with the Mon Calamari Guard, the Rebel Alliance, and its successors the New Republic and Resistance. Ackbar was a mentor to the young Mon Calamari Prince Lee-Char and strove to protect the young prince's life. He believed that Lee-Char was the right claimant to the Mon Cala throne who had the interests of both the Mon Calamari and Quarren in mind. Ackbar taught the young Prince how to lead his people in combat. Despite his valor, Ackbar was also pragmatic enough to order a retreat when the Quarren and their Separatist allies unleashed cyborg Hydroids-Medusa.[5]

After being driven into hiding, Ackbar advised Lee-Char and his Jedi and Republic allies to split up to avoid capture.[18] Despite his distrust of the Quarren for their connivance with the Separatists, Ackbar acceded to Lee-Char's plan to reunite the Mon Calamari and Quarren against the Separatist leader Karkarodon. Ackbar worked with his former Quarren adversary Nossor Ri to distribute weapons to the Mon Calamari and Republic captives and expel the Separatist invaders from Mon Cala.[6]

By the time of the Galactic Civil War, Ackbar had become an Admiral in the Alliance Navy. He led the successful effort to evacuate the rebel base on Yavin IV following the Battle of Yavin.[21] Ackbar was also a skilled tactician who devised the successful attack on the second Death Star using plans that had been stolen by Bothan spies. As a commander, Ackbar also knew how to delegate duties and assigned Han Solo with leading the strike team to deactivate the shield generator on Endor. During the Battle of Endor, Ackbar played an important role in saving many Alliance ships by sending them to attack the Imperial fleet in order to stop the second Death Star from firing on them.[24]

Following the events on Endor, Admiral Ackbar commanded a string of New Republic victories which saw the taking of numerous worlds including Akiva, Kuat, and Kashyyyk. His skills and military victories won him the admiration of several of his Imperial foes including Grand Admiral Rae Sloane. While Ackbar found the Imperial informant Operator's information useful, he did not trust the mysterious leaker.[26] Despite his martial accomplishments, Ackbar still believed in the Force and often included it in his greetings.[24]

Admiral Ackbar was suspicious of Grand Admiral Sloane's peace offer. His suspicions were confirmed when the peace offer was used by Fleet Admiral Gallius Rax to launch a sneak attack on the New Republic.[26] Ackbar encouraged Chancellor Mothma during her difficult times and reassured her that she had been wise not to immediately disclose information regarding Imperial forces on Jakku to the public. Ackbar also mentored Commodore Agate and encouraged her not to give up her command despite being disfigured during the Liberation Day attacks. He also cared for his crew but respected Agate's decision to sacrifice her life during the Battle of Jakku.[27]

In the years after the Galactic Civil War, Ackbar maintained a deep respect for his former comrade Senator Leia Organa. He along with Mon Mothma, Han Solo, Chewbacca, Nien Nunb, and C-3PO remained loyal to Leia despite revelations that she was the daughter of Darth Vader. Ackbar also shared Leia's view that the New Republic lacked the strength to safeguard the galaxy and joined the Resistance.[2] At the time of Ackbar's death aboard the bridge of the Resistance's main cruiser, upon realizing that he would not survive the missile strike that would take his life, he demonstrated his courage, devotion to their rebellion and respect for his comrades as he took the opportunity to acknowledge them in his final words.